The text called Hávamál (literally “Words of the High One,” or perhaps “Words of the One-Eyed,” either way a reference to Odin) might be considered a Norse equivalent of the Book of Proverbs, containing as it does a series of disconnected stanzas encouraging wisdom and moderation in living one’s life.

“The Cowboy Hávamál” is a condensation of the wisdom of the first, most down-to-earth part of Hávamál (often called the Gestatháttr, it includes stanzas 1-79, give or take a few) into mostly five-line stanzas of a Western American English dialect. I have not endeavored to render this dialect phonetically in a thoroughly consistent way, but only to present an “eye dialect” of sorts, to suggest the dry tones of the accent behind the words.

While my other translation of Hávamál (in my translation of the Poetic Edda) is more complete, the tone of this one seems more authentic to me. The voice is that of my grandfather, sad with wisdom and cynical with experience, which I have always heard when reading this poem in the original.

“The Cowboy Hávamál” was translated from the Old Norse in one night, on January 11, 2012. Nothing I have done before or since has matched the strange and moving experience of channeling my grandfather’s voice in that way.

For more about Hávamál, check out my general intro. to the poem here, to the god Óðinn (Odin) here, and get an analysis of what every stanza means in Old Norse starting with this video.

***

1. Use yer eyes,
and never walk blind.
There ain’t no tellin’
where there’s someone waitin’
to put one over on you.

22. Nothin’ to learn from a fella
who won’t but laugh at everybody else.
What he ain’t learned
would do him some good:
He’s got his own faults.

23. You should lie down to sleep
and not think about tomorrow;
you’ll take care of it then.
If you worry at night, you get nothing done,
and you’re in worse shape for the day.

24. Not everybody
who laughs with you
is yer friend.
Someone who won’t but laugh
hasn’t thought about much.

25. Not everybody
who laughs with you
is yer friend.
It’s one thing if a fella’ll laugh with you,
it’s another if you can count on ‘im.

26. You’re a damn fool
if you think you can just figure out
a way out of any problem.
It’s good to think ahead,
but sometimes things go wrong.

27. I wish more damn fools
would just keep their mouths shut.
If they did, we might not realize
just how many goddamned fools
there are in this old world.

28. Ain’t ever been a single person
who can keep his mouth shut
when it comes to other people.
But try not to gossip,
even if it makes you look smarter.

29. You will talk yourself into trouble
if you don’t think before you speak:
Hold that tongue, and think a little,
or you’ll find out that it’s a long whip,
and it’s gonna hit you from behind.

30. Don’t make fun of someone else,
even if he owes you money,
and don’t pester people with questions.

31. Sarcastic people sound smart
when they make fun of someone else.
But making fun dudn’t make you smart,
and that’s time you could be putting
into somethin’ more worthwhile.

32. A fella might be nice enough;
there’s still something
that’ll make ‘im want to fight.
Where there’s more than one man,
you’ll eventually have a fight.

33. You shouldn’t sit around
and wait to eat all day.
Go ahead and eat,
unless you’re eatin’ later with a friend,
otherwise you’ll just be useless.

34. Don’t concern yerself
with anybody
who won’t repay yer friendship in kind.
Better to walk a long way to a friend,
than a short way to some ornery jackass.

35. Don’t overstay yer welcome.
Folks like company, but not too much,
and start to resent a guest ‘fore long.
So git goin’ after a while,
or you’ll git on people’s nerves.

36. It dudn’t matter where you live,
long as you have a roof over you.
Better to call some place home,
even if it ain’t much to look at,
than to beg for ever’thing.

37. It dudn’t matter where you live,
long as you have a place.
Better to call a place home,
or you’ll feel worse and worse,
as you beg for more and more.

38. Keep yer guns close.
I don’t care what they say,
there ain’t no tellin’
when there’ll be call for ’em.
An armed man has a shot.

39. Don’t think a generous host
wouldn’t gladly take something
in return for yer room and board.
Never seen a man so nice
he wouldn’t like a little in return.

40. Don’t save so much money
that you don’t use any of it.
You’ll die, after all,
and it might not go to people you like.
The world ain’t aimin’ to please you.

41. Give yer friend
a gift that’ll matter to ‘im:
Weapons, clothes, you know the kind.
This kind of giving, if he gits you back,
will mean he’ll have yer back when it counts.

42. Be friendly
to anybody friendly to you,
and repay their gifts.
Repay good with good,
and bad with bad.

43. Be friendly
to anybody friendly to you;
and to his friends, too.
But be careful not to make friends
with your friends’ enemies.

44. If you have a good friend,
and really trust ‘im,
you should share yer mind with ‘im,
exchange gifts with ‘im,
visit ‘im often.

45. If you have another friend
and don’t trust him worth a spit,
but want somethin’ from ‘im,
speak kindly, but don’t be surprised
if you find yerself betrayin’ that kindness.

46. Now this fella you don’t trust:
That’s not to say you shouldn’t talk to ‘im,
laugh with ‘im, even–
hell, who can you trust?
But repay ‘im just what he gives you.

47. I was young once, I walked alone,
and I got lost on my way.
It wasn’t alone that I found happiness,
but in good company, good friends;
there’s no joy in loneliness.

48. Be friendly, be brave if you’re challenged,
and don’t nurture a grudge for too long.
That’s the way to spend yer life–
not on worrying,
not on shirking yer responsibilities.

49. Once I was walkin’, I saw two scarecrows,
and that gave me the damnedest funny thought:
They were naked, so I’d give ’em clothes.
They looked a damned sight better in ’em, too;
a naked man just feels ashamed of himself.

64. Don’t think you’re the goddamned smartest,
or the toughest, or the best at anything,
and don’t let folks think you are, either.
Otherwise you’ll find out the hard way
that someone is always better.

65. Watch what you say, son–
what you say to other people
is often exactly what you git from ’em.

66. There’s bein’ too early,
there’s bein’ too late,
and you can’t always predict folks’ timing.
But try to be on time;
that wins you more favor.

67. People ain’t always sincere
when they say they’ll give you somethin’;
you don’t know it for a fact
till it’s in yer hands.
Don’t take anybody at just his word.

68. A warm home is good for you,
the sunshine is good for you,
and your health, too, of course,
but don’t underestimate how good it is
to live without things to say sorry for.

69. You can never lose ever’thing,
even if yer health looks to give out any minute.
You might still have yer kids, yer family,
yer money, or something else–
or better, a job well done.

70. Better to be alive, no matter what,
than dead–
only the living enjoy anything.
I’ve seen a rich man’s corpse;
it wadn’t different than a poor man’s.

71. Break yer leg? You can ride a horse still.
Lost a hand? Not yer voice, too, I reckon.
Cain’t hear? Bet you can still fight.
There ain’t a damn way any shot at life
is worse than empty death.

72. It’s good to have a son,
or someone you can call that;
there ain’t too many men remembered
‘cept those as left family behind.

73. If two fight again’ one, two’ll probably win.
And again, son, watch yer damn tongue.
And never trust
that what folks keep hidden from you
is for yer own good.

74. The weather can change a lot in five days,
it can change even more in a month,
and you’re a fool if you think you can predict it.
Never trust to anything
that’s not in yer own power.

75. I’ve said you should listen,
but don’t listen to goddamned idiots.
And remember: You might be poor,
someone else might be rich,
and neither o’ you has the other to blame.

76. Cows die, friends and family die,
you will die just the same way.
But if you have a good reputation,
that might survive you.